


Unexpected

by DragonessDreams



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Mute character (oc), Noctopus, Octo Iggy, Octogladdy, Octomer AU, Prom's still just a regular ol' human though, extra tags might be added as i go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-07-03 06:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15813309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonessDreams/pseuds/DragonessDreams
Summary: When Stella's sister brings home what she thinks is an ordinary little octopus in a jar, she thought nothing of it.Until it turned out to be so much more.





	1. The Octomer

**Author's Note:**

> This was a small fic- inspired by mintfoxmimi's AMAZING Octomer AU on tumblr - that kinda started to get out of hand and turned into a multi-chapter thing that I can't get out of my head.

A loud bang echoed around the room, closely followed by a _thud_ as Stella jumped, smacking her head on the top of the cupboard she was rummaging through. Rubbing her head, she stood, turning to glare at her sister who stood smirking with her hand on the brown glass jar she'd just hit the table with. Stella tipped her head to the side in question and Gala snorted.

"It's a little squid or octopus. I found it in one of the rockpools on the beach. Figured I'd keep it and take it to Biology class on Monday and see if Mr Jones'll let me dissect it."

Stella wrinkled her nose at the suggestion. Mr Jones wouldn't let anybody cut up anything unless it had been taken to the school dead. Plus it was only Friday...  
Stella's eyes widened and she shook her head, reaching for the little brown jar on the table, only to recoil as Gala slapped her metal ruler across the back of it.

"Keep your grubby little hands to yourself. You can let it out of the jar, but only if you put it in a bowl. Release it, and I'll break your leg so bad, you won't be able to afford the surgery needed to repair it."

Stella winced, remembering how many extra hours she'd had to do to pay the last time Gala broke her leg. Well; her hip mostly. She wasn't stupid. And she knew it was no idle threat. Gala had learned from their father all too well. Gala snorted again as she dumped her jacket on the floor.

"I'm going to shower and change and then I'm going to Carl's for the weekend. Like I said, you can put it in a bowl if you wish, but even if it were to survive the weekend, I'll just kill it anyway." She laughed, pausing for a moment at the top of the stairs to turn back to Stella and kick her shoes down the stairs at her.

Stella glared back up the stairs after her younger sister, still scowling as she bent down and picked up the shoes and jacket to place them neatly by the door. Turning back to the table she looked at the jar sat in the centre. Sitting, she rested her head on one arm as she used to other to turn the jar, trying to see more clearly the creature inside.

 _Poor thing_ , she thought, _if I wasn't such a coward I'd just let you free._

Standing again, Stella pulled a large clear glass bowl out if one of the overhead cupboards and placed it on the table next to the jar. When Gala left, she'd take them both upstairs to the bath and let the poor thing out of the jar. It was mostly because she wanted a better look at it, but also so that it wouldn't just be stuck in a tiny jar for the rest of it's life.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door, followed shortly by a loud series of thumps as Gala came running back down the stairs with an overnight bag over her shoulder. Stella tapped her on the shoulder before she was able to leave, handing her small whiteboard over to her.

_"I hope you've taken everything you need this time. I'm not walking all the way across town just because you forgot a toothbrush again."_

Gala snorted, throwing the whiteboard back at Stella, " I'm not the stupid one out of the two of us." Stella arched an eyebrow and rolled her eyes as Gala left, slamming the door behind her.

Sighing, Stella went back into the kitchen and looked again at the jar. Was it just her or did the lid look like it was starting to come off? Shaking her head, Stella picked the jar and bowl up and headed upstairs to the main bathroom. She placed the jar on the counter by the sink as she added some extra water to the bowl before carefully putting it in the bath. Even if the tap water hurt the creature, it wouldn't have enough water in the bowl if she just used what was in the jar.

Nodding to herself, she was starting to turn back when she heard the unmistakable sound of the jar opening. Whipping her head around, she froze, mouth dropping open as she looked at the tiny purple octopus pulling itself out of the jar.

Wait.  
That wasn't an octopus.  
It was a tiny man, but where his legs should have been were the tentacles of the creature she had mistaken it for.

The creature - _an octomer,_ she remembered, from the old stories her grandmother used to tell her - sat primly on the top of the jar, the lid held by some of it's tentacles and looked at her with an unamused expression, tiny arms folded across it's chest.

"Any last words, dear human?"

Stella stared at the creature in shock, the voice barely registering at first. It was only when the creature moved it's tentacles to drop the jar lid did she react; turning and lunging for the door to get away from the creature behind her.

She had the door halfway open when a tentacle wrapped around her ankles and _pulled_. Gasping, she fell to the floor as she felt more of those tentacles slide around her, pinning her arms to her sides and turning her over.

Looking up, she saw the octomer - now full sized - looming over her, green eyes glinting as he smirked down at her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Stella turned her head away from the octomer above her, whimpering quietly. She could feel more of those tentacles wrap themselves around her body, effectively pinning her in place. She bit back a sob as she felt one turn her head back up to face the creature that had her trapped.

"What is it dear human?" It - _he_ \- murmured, cultured voice coming out almost as a purr, "You didn't expect such a small creature to put up a fight?" The octomer laughed now, the tentacle that had turned Stella's head now sliding across her cheek. The touch was gentle, almost disguising the octomer's true intent.

"Open your eyes my dear, and tell me your name. I want to know the name of the human who thought it wise to capture me before I kill them."

Stella sobbed at the words, squeezing her eyes shut even more and shaking her head, feeling tears slide down her cheeks and into her hair. The octomer chuckled and Stella flinched as she felt his hand - almost human if not for the claws that replaced the nails - come to rest against her face, wiping away the tears with a thumb. The gesture, like with the tentacle earlier, was gentle and Stella's eyes blinked open against her will, grey-blue orbs meeting green.

The octomer smiled at her, licking his lips and leaving a glowing substance behind. _Venom_ Stella thought and whimpered again.

"Very good. Now; tell me your name."

Stella blinked rapidly, shaking her head, trying to signal her inability to communicate to the creature. The octomer frowned, tapping a finger against Stella's cheek, tentacles tightening around her body for a second.

"It is not wise to refuse to do what I say, human."

Stella shook her head again, opening her mouth and attempting to speak. The only sound that emerged was a strangled gargle, however, and she grunted in frustration. Turning her head she arched her neck, trying to show the octomer the scar that cut across her throat.

Above her, the octomer blinked in surprise, hand sliding down from where it rested on her face to gently stroke a finger across the scar. A look of realisation dawned across his face and Stella felt the tentacles around her loosen their grip and slide away, allowing her arms to move freely once again, although one still remained wrapped around her ankle to prevent her from trying to run again as the octomer pushed to lean back against the side of the bath.

Hissing, Stella pushed herself into a sitting position, raising her arms to inspect the sucker marks that adorned them. _Great_. Sighing, she looked over to the octomer and arched a brow. The octomer chuckled.

"You cannot speak. The one who trapped me wouldn't stop talking the entire time she was carrying me around."

The octomer tilted his head to the side as he looked her up and down.

"Do you have a way of communicating without speech?" He inquired, "This conversation will be a lot easier if you do."

Even before he finished his sentence, Stella was nodding her head rapidly, pulling her phone out of her pocket and messing around with the settings in the memo pad. A second later, a robotic voice sounded out.

_"Do you treat all humans this way, or is it just those you think have wronged you?"_

The octomer grinned, showing sharp teeth that glinted in the faint light coming through the window. Turning her head, Stella noticed that the sun had almost set before her attention returned to the octomer as he spoke again.

"Not all humans are treated like this. It depends on what they have done. Most simply-" the octomer waved his hand in the air "-disappear, as far as other humans are concerned."

Stella frowned.

_"You kill them?"_

The octomer's face remained neutral.

"Yes." He tilted his head. "Although we do sometimes give them a chance to live if they can prove that they won't try to tell people about us."

Stella nodded. She'd figured as much. She hoped that the octomer would let her live, especially if he considered her offer.

_"I can take you back to where my sister caught you, if you want."_

The octomer looked at her carefully.

"Doing so will not necessarily convince me that you won't tell people about me."

Stella snorted, biting her lip for a second before dissolving into garbled laughter. The octomer looked taken aback at her reaction, only serving to fuel her laughter more.

"Are you quite finished?" He asked as she hiccupped, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. Stella giggled again, tapping her phone rapidly. "I fail to see what is so funny about this situation."

Stella smiled at him.

_"I'm mute. And my sister is probably gonna kill me when she finds out that I let you free. And honestly? It doesn't disturb me as much as you would think."_

The octomer considered her carefully. Slowly, he lent forwards, hand reaching out to grasp her wrist before he spoke.

“If you do not take me back to the sea, and instead drop me off at one of your human _‘labs’_ I will come back for you, and I will take you to the place I come from and I will show you _exactly_ what it is we do to traitorous humans.”

Stella shuddered, trying to pull back but unable to due to the tight grip the octomer had on her wrist. Nodding, she twisted her wrist in his grip until he let go, then paused for a second before piking her phone back up.

_“My name is Stella, by the way.”_

The octomer tilted his head to the side, observing. “And you felt it necessary to tell me your name because...?”

Stella snorted and shrugged.

_“I figured it would make you more likely to believe me. It’s harder to find someone when you don’t know their name after all.”_

The octomer hummed, eyes narrowing. “Ignis.” He waved his hand Stella’s confused look. “My name is Ignis.”

Smiling, Stella reached out and took his hand in a little shake.

_“It’s nice to meet you, Ignis."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I was going to upload it on Tuesday but it wasn't finished so yeah

_“You're glowing.”_

  
Ignis chuckled. Such an obvious observation.

“Yes?”

  
He watched as Stella tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at him, clearly trying to tell if he was mocking her or not.

  
_“Why?”_

  
He shrugged, curling up against the... thing he was leaning against. “It is simply what I do. Part of who I am. Like my venom.” He looked at the girl closely. “Why can you not speak?”

  
He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth; Stella flinched, shying away as though he had thrown a rock at her rather than asked her a simple question. Instead, the girl stood, tapping on the tentacle he still had wrapped around her ankle as she did.

  
_“Are you hungry? I think we have some fish in the fridge if you want it.”_

  
Ignis narrowed his eyes, mildly annoyed at the sudden change of subject. He shifted, removing the tentacle from Stella’s ankle and pulling it back in towards him. Instead of trying to push the matter further however, he nodded, knowing that he likely wouldn’t be able to get her to talk about it even if he did try. Stella nodded back at him with a faint smile before turning and leaving the room.

  
He knew he should probably follow her, if only to ensure that she didn’t immediately run off somewhere, but something stopped him. It probably had something to do with the fact that she’d given him her name, but also something else. She'd been so sincere, so... _different_ to the few other humans he’d had the misfortune to have to deal with in the past; it almost made him feel as though he couldn’t _not_ trust her.

  
And that was certainly confusing.

  
Trusting humans was generally frowned upon; if only because they needed to ensure that they stayed safe. Who knew what kind of things the humans would do to them if they knew of his kind.

  
The door creaked slightly as it opened, pulling him out of his thoughts as he turned his head to look at the human. Stella had paused in the doorway, a considering look in her face, before she reached out and pulled on a cord hanging from the ceiling. Ignis hissed, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the bright light that flickered to life above them.

  
_“Sorry.”_ He hummed in response to the strange sounding voice that emitted from the device that Stella held. It reminded him of the sound of a boats engine as they passed over the surface of the sea. A flat white object was placed on the floor in front of him, a small rainbow trout laid forlornly on top of it. _“This is all I have seafood-wise I’m afraid.”_

  
Ignis moved his hand, blinking for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust before reaching for the fish. It was limp and had clearly been dead for some time, although it must have been preserved in some way to have lasted as long as it must have. Probably had something to do with the ‘fridge’ that Stella had mentioned. Not that he had any idea what a fridge even _was_.

  
Muttering a quiet ‘thank you' Ignis dug his teeth into the fish and pulled a piece of meat off. It wasn't the best fish Ignis had ever eaten, but he wasn’t going to complain. Stella was sharing her food with him, after all; something she didn’t need to do but had decided to do anyway.

  
He watched Stella carefully as he ate, noting with mild surprise that she had a slight, but clearly permanent limp in her right leg as she moved around the room, and her left forearm was covered by some sort of black leather wrap. She leant over him at some point, reaching out to turn the metal object that sat at the head of the thing he was leaning against. He jumped as he heard the sudden sound of water hitting the object behind him, but after a while the sound became soothing as it filled up.

  
After the fish was finished, Ignis turned and looked at Stella properly as she sat on the side of the object, watching the water as it continued to fill. She seemed completely lost in thought, red-gold hair hanging in front of her face, not even noticing as he shifted up to rest his arms on the edge next to where she sat.

  
She jerked, clearly pulled out of her train of thought as Ignis tapped her hand gently with a tentacle, looking at her expectantly. She shook her head at him before picking the device back up.

  
_“I said I would take you back. I didn’t say when.”_ Stella gestured to the window before continuing. _“It’s too dark for me to take you back to the sea now. You’re just gonna have to wait until morning.”_

  
Ignis frowned at her. “It is imperative that I return as soon as possible. There are matters I must attend to, and people who are relying on me.”

  
Stella nodded, reaching over to turn the metal again as the voice sounded out, halting the flow of water.

  
_“I get that, but I don’t have a car and we have to walk through the town centre to get to the beach. That’s not something you do at night if you can help it.”_ Stella giggled and Ignis frowned again. _“Besides, as weird as things can get around here, I don’t exactly think me walking along with a giant octomer is something people are going to overlook.”_

  
Ignis scowled. Although she had a point, he did need to get back as soon as possible; not only because he was needed, but also because he would start to dry out. Drying out was not fatal to octomers unless it was for extraordinarily long periods of time, but it was incredibly uncomfortable.

  
“I can shift forms so as to appear human and walk with you.” Ignis had to contain a laugh At the shocked expression on Stella's face. “Yes, we can do that, but only if we have to.” Stella blinked at him for a moment, then huffed a breath and gestured at the water-filled object.

  
_“That is actually really helpful. But it’ll still have to wait until morning. I’m not going through the town at this time, no matter how convincing you can be, or how much you claim you are needed. Whoever it is that needs you so badly can wait until morning, I’m sure. For now, just get in the bath.”_

  
Ignis arched a brow at her, glancing out of the corner if his eye at the so called ‘bath'.

  
_“I’m not sure how good fresh water is for you, but I figured it’s better than you drying out.”_

  
Ignis blinked, surprised. It took him a moment to reply, suddenly worried that the human could read minds, as her words echoed his own thoughts from a moment ago. “Fresh water is alright for a few hours, and it takes a while for me to dry out when not in water, although that time is longer when I’m in human form.”

  
Stella nodded, considering. _“If you can’t stay in the water any longer, and I’m not awake, you could shift. There’s a spare bed in my room you can use if you still need to sleep. If you sleep at all, that is.”_

  
Ignis snorted, earning him another confused look. “Of course we sleep. I doubt we function very well without it. In fact, there are some of us who would rather spend most their time sleeping.” He smiled at Stella’s responding giggle. “I think it would be best if I stayed near the water and unshifted until we leave. It will be easier that way.”

  
Stella gave a quiet hum at that, reaching over for the jar that lay on its side on the counter and fastening it’s lid back on. There were a few minutes in which they sat in silence, Stella seemingly staring at the jar in her hands. Ignis shifted his tentacles uncomfortably, suddenly feeling a spark of concern at the way she seemed to have completely frozen in place. She jumped when Ignis tapped her arm, almost dropping the jar in her surprise.

  
“My apologies.” Ignis murmured as he pulled himself up, sliding over the edge of the bath and cautiously lowering himself into the water. The water was cool and refreshing, but there was still that slight sting that told him this was not his natural home. He relaxed, letting out a quiet sigh as his eyes closed.

  
_“Sleep well Ignis.”_ Ignis opened his eyes for a moment, watching as Stella left the room, pulling the cord and extinguishing the light as she did. _“I’ll be just down the hall if you need me. Second room on the right.”_

  
He nodded at her to show his understanding, continuing to watch until the door had blocked his line of sight. Closing his eyes again, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to upload chapters on weekends on this and also possibly my other fic. Idk. We'll see.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya guys.  
> I'm sorry this took so long, college, work, being ill and everything else sucks big time.  
> I'm probably gonna have to change how often I update this fic, but there should hopefully only be a couple other chapters to go.

Stella couldn’t help but smile at the sight that greeted her when she opened the bathroom door the next morning. Ignis was still asleep, although he must have woken up at some point in the night, as he was now curled up on the floor, a damp towel wrapped around him like a blanket. Stella had to resist the urge to pull out her phone and take a picture; it would be hard to explain if anyone went on her phone, and she doubted that Ignis would appreciate it, no matter how cute it seemed.

  
Gently closing the door behind her, Stella padded quietly downstairs, flicking on the kitchen light as she went. The sun had barely started to come up, the sky outside the window streaked with the faint first rays of light. Of course she’d woken up before dawn again, even though there was nobody in the house but her and Ignis.

  
She shrugged to herself.

  
_Old habits die hard I guess_.

  
Humming quietly as she moved around the kitchen, Stella set about getting some breakfast ready. She’d found some prawns in the freezer yesterday while looking for the fish for Ignis and had left them out overnight to defrost. She opened the packet carefully, double checking that they had fully defrosted before putting them in a bowl off to the side ready for the octomer.

  
_Speaking of Ignis_ ; Stella tilted her head the side as she put a slice of bread in the toaster. _He’s going to need some clothes for when I take him back. There’s the stuff that Gala has from her ex’s, and dad’s old stuff. I’ll just have to see if there’s anything that will fit him_. She nodded decisively, grabbing the toast as it popped up and putting it on her own plate.

  
_Not that today is a good day_. Stella sighed as she saw the calendar that hung on the fridge. She shook her head, dispelling the thoughts that usually came with such things and grabbed the butter. _I have better things to do than mope today. Although, it means I’ve got the day off at least. We'll just have to take a detour on the way to the beach._

  
Nodding again, Stella picked her now buttered toast up and began to eat slowly. As she started to wash up the plate, her phone vibrated and started flashing signalling that she had a message.

  
**Tia (6:03am):** Hey Stella, I know you're probably awake, so I just figured I’d check to make sure you’re OK. You know, today being what it is. You have the day off, as usual. Don’t forget to eat and actually /do/ something other than mope around all day. And text me if you need anything. XxX

  
Stella hummed quietly to herself, a small smile forming as she read the message. Trust Tia to wake up early to send her a cheer up message.

  
**Stella (6:04am):** thanks T. I’ve actually got a plan for today so don’t worry.

  
**Stella (6:04am):** you're a great best friend you know

  
**Tia (6:04am):** I’m your only friend

  
**Stella (6:04am):** that too

  
Stella grinned, only to jump at the sound of water flowing down the pipes from the bathroom. She frowned at the sound, annoyed at the reminder of the thin walls of the small house. Grabbing her phone and the bowl of shrimp from where she’d left it on the counter, she made her way back upstairs. She was unable to contain her laugh as she opened the door to the bathroom and revealed a rather confused looking Ignis as he sat in the bath watching the water drain away. The octomer glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before gesturing at the plug he held in one of his tentacles.

  
“I’m guessing this is what was keeping the water in here.” At Stella’s answering nod, he sighed. “My apologies. I did not intend to pull it out, the… chain got wrapped around my tentacle.”

  
Stella giggled and shook her head in amusement, receiving a confused look from Ignis as he took the bowl of shrimp from her outstretched hand. She shrugged at him, pulling her phone out to start typing.

  
_“I’m gonna go get you some clothes to wear and then we’ll be able to set off.”_

  
Ignis nodded in response, eyes trained on the shrimp he had skewered on one clawed finger. The sight made Stella huff a laugh under her breath before turning and leaving the bathroom to go to her father’s room. She paused outside the door, her hand resting on the handle for a moment before taking a deep breath and pushing the door open.

  
Upon entering the room, Stella made a disgusted noise, lifting the hem of her shirt up and covering her nose to block out the stale smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol as she walked across the room to open the wardrobe. There were only a few items of clothing left hanging on the rail and Stella pulled them out to get a better look at them. A set of black slacks and a smart leather jacket were placed to the side and she went back to search for a shirt.

  
A flash of purple caught her eye. On the top of the small pile of clothes that sat in a not-so-neatly folded pile on the bottom of the wardrobe was a purple leopard-print dress shirt. Stella grinned. The pattern almost perfectly matched the markings that covered most of Ignis’ body and tentacles. quickly grabbing some socks and boxers, she picked up the set of clothes and headed back to the bathroom.

  
Ignis was still sat in the bath, eyes closed, holding the now empty bowl. One green eye cracked open slightly as Stella set the pile of clothes down on the counter. She smiled at him, gesturing at the pile before fishing her phone out of her pocket.

  
_“I’m hoping you know how to put these on.”_

  
There was a quiet chuckle from Ignis, the octomer sitting up and reaching out to feel the fabric of the shirt.

  
“Mostly. I should hope that my observations of humans would be of some use.”

  
Stella nodded at him. _“If you need any help, just yell. I’m just going to go get some more stuff before we leave.”_

  
Planting his hands on the side of the bath, Ignis pulled himself up, sliding out and onto the floor smoothly. Stella blinked, surprised, at the graceful movement before shaking her head and heading to her own room to change. Once changed into black shirt and jeans, she grabbed a bag and placed a few more items into it. Her purse, a towel, swimsuit and some spare clothes went in, along with the brown jar that she'd brought from the bathroom with her. If she was going to take Ignis to the beach, she might as well spend the day there, rather than locked up in an empty house.

  
The bathroom door was open when she went back out of her room, Ignis leaning against the frame for support as he stepped out. Stella paused, eyes wide. The clothes that she’d picked for him suited him perfectly, the trousers only slightly too short for his long legs. He had to be about 6 foot in his human form, the sheer height of him causing Stella to shrink back against the wall slightly.

  
Ignis frowned as he saw the movement, raising his hand and reaching out for her, only to stop when she flinched away from him, sliding along the wall past him to stand at the top of the stairs. She could feel his eyes on her back as she stood still for a moment. Shaking her head, she flashed a smile over her shoulder, gesturing for him to follow her as she started to walk downstairs again.

  
“Are you alright?” Stella snapped her head around at the sound of Ignis’ voice, so close to her ear. She hadn't expected him to get down the stairs so fast. “I apologise if I did anything to scare you just then. It was not my intention to do so.”

  
She shook her head quickly, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

  
_“It's alright. You didn’t do anything. Just bad memories.”_

  
Ignis looked unconvinced at the statement, but didn't comment on it, instead crossing his arms and leaning against the wall as he watched her go over to the shoe rack and grab her boots and a pair of dress shoes that were covered in dust. She pulled a face at the dust, pulling out a cloth and wiping them down quickly before holding them out to him. There was a muttered ‘thank you’ as Ignis took the shoes, the octomer turning and sitting down on the stairs to put them on. Stella watched as nimble fingers easily tied the laces of the shoes, her own hands working automatically as she pulled the laces of her boots tight before tying them.

  
Ignis stayed sat down when Stella finished with her boots; she could feel him watching her as she took a bunch of flowers out of a vase on the counter by the window. Most of the flowers were just coming into bloom, with the exception of a few wilting roses that had bloomed early. Pulling a plastic bag out, Stella wrapped up the stems of the flowers to stop them leaking water and placed them carefully into her bag.

  
“What are those for?” The question was spoken softly, quietly. Stella turned her head to look at Ignis as she hooked the bag over her shoulder.

  
_“I hope you don’t mind, but we're going to make a quick stop on the way to the beach. It’s easier than me taking you back, coming all the way home again and then going. It won’t take long.”_

  
Ignis frowned, opening his mouth as if to protest, then closing it again as he seemed to think better of it and nodded. Stella flashed him a smile and gestured to the door.

  
_“Shall we then?”_


	4. Chapter 4

Ignis was confused.

  
It wasn't often that Ignis was confused. But then again, he didn't think that he'd ever met anyone like Stella.

  
Stella was confusing.

  
She was extremely confusing and Ignis couldn’t figure out why. Not as he’d watched her get ready to leave, not as he watched her pick up what looked to be a small pocket knife and tuck it in her bag. Certainly not as she opened the door and gestured for him to go through first.

  
The feeling of the sun on his skin was pleasant, although Ignis knew that it wouldn’t stay that way for very long. The longer he stayed away from water, the faster he would dry out until his skin would start burning and _that_ was a most _unpleasant_ feeling. A few birds were flying overhead as Ignis looked up, some simply gliding along, others flitting about with a speed and grace unmatched by most other creatures. He wondered if that was how the humans would see the octomers; beautiful, graceful, instead of hunting them like they feared they would.

  
A light tap at his elbow startled him out of his thoughts. Stella stood next to him with a hand on his arm and a concerned look on her face. He smiled at her reassuringly, but the expression only seemed to deepen.

  
_“We shouldn’t hang round too long. I doubt it’s easy for you to hold this form, and it probably won't take long for you to start drying out.”_

  
Ignis barely had the time to once again wonder if the human was a mind reader before she had looped her arm through his, hand resting on his elbow, and was leading him away. He turned his head to glance back at Stella’s home, noting that it seemed a lot duller then the other homes around it, and not just from the lack of plants in front of it. He’d felt it when he’d been in the place, watching Stella cower against the wall in fear, and he could still feel it now in the way that the human’s hand on his arm felt stiff and she practically radiated nervous energy.

  
And then there was the flowers.

  
He didn’t particularly understand humans’ rituals and the like, but he knew flowers were often given to other people, and he recognised a few of them. They were the same as the ones that sometimes were thrown into the sea after a fisherman or some other unfortunate soul had met their end in the unforgiving ocean. He remembered, having often swam as close as he dared with Noctis and Gladiolus to watch and fish out the flowers once the humans had left.

  
He wondered who the flowers were for.

  
Stella’s hand twitched slightly and Ignis stopped. She was staring ahead of them, across the part where the cars were travelling on – _a road_ he thought – to a large building. The doors of the building were closed, but there was an grey-haired man sat outside the building, drinking out of a brown bottle. Even from this distance, Ignis could see that he had the same blue-grey eyes as Stella, although, where hers were sharp and full of fear, his were unfocused and bloodshot. He was about to ask who the man was when he looked up, eyes immediately landing on Stella and a snarl coming across his features. Stella tugged on Ignis’ arm, pulling him quickly away off the path they were on and into a group of trees. Her pace quickened, the limp he had noticed the night before becoming more pronounced as she settled into a stilted run.

  
It only took a few minutes before Stella slowed down again, her run turning into a hop and a pained expression appearing on her face as she tried to avoid putting weight on her right leg. A further few minutes passed before she finally stopped, leaning against a tree. They stood on the edge of a clearing of sorts. The clearing was filled with rows of upright stones, some shaped to represent winged humans or crosses, and all of varying colours and sizes. As Stella began to limp forwards again, Ignis saw words carved into the stones; names, dates. Mother, daughter, sister. Father, son, brother.

  
Ignis felt less confused now. He knew a grave when he saw one.

  
Stella led him through the rows until she stopped at two that stood close together. Stella let out a pained hiss as she knelt down in front of the graves, pulling the flowers out of her bag once she was settled. She split the bunch into two and gently placed laid them in front of the two graves.

  
One was smaller than the other and had a small, golden sun carved into the top of it. _Sol Gelida, loved son and brother_. And the other; _Imbrium Gelida, loved daughter, wife and mother_. The dates of their deaths were only a few months apart.

  
Ignis understood better now.

  
Ignis lowered himself to kneel down next to Stella. The girl glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as he carefully looped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. After a second Stella relaxed in his hold, leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. Ignis rested his cheek on the top of her head and simply sat with her for a while.

  
“I can barely remember my parents.” Stella shifted on his shoulder at the whisper. “I lived with my Uncle but spent most of my time with my friends.” Stella hummed softly. Ignis took a deep breath. “I was told that they died while out hunting. But my... friend; he said he once overheard his father talking about them being killed in a human’s fishing net.”

  
_“You are afraid that you and the ones you care about will be killed too.”_ Ignis blinked in surprise, not realising that Stella had gotten the talking device out of her pocket. _“I’m sorry.”_

  
“Whatever are you sorry for?” Ignis asked, confused. “You had nothing to do with what happened, so it’s hardly appropriate for you to be apologising."

  
_“I know. But I doubt the fishermen ever said sorry, or paid for what they did.”_ Stella closed her eyes again, curling into his side. _“And I’m sorry that you had to lose the ones you love like that. I know how that feels.”_

  
They sat in silence for a while longer, Ignis with his arm around Stella’s shoulders, holding her close. After a while though, Ignis started shifting as he felt the presence of the sun against his skin starting to cause a tingling sensation as he started drying out. Stella opened her eyes quickly at his movements, glancing at him for a moment before standing up. Her right leg as notably stiffer as she lent against him, eyes narrowing in pain.

  
“Are you alright?” Stella waved her hand in dismissal and Ignis frowned. “You are obviously in pain Stella. Please, tell me what is wrong.”

  
Stella seemed surprised by his sudden concern, looking him in the eyes for the first time since they had left the house, only to glance away again after a few seconds.

  
_“It’s an old injury that didn’t properly heal. It’s fine.”_ Ignis scowled at the dismissal, but softened his expression again when she flinched. Tilting his head to the side, he watched her limp a few steps forwards before reaching out, tapping her on the shoulder and holding his arm out in offering. There was a moment where he thought she was going to ignore the offer before she looped her arm through his and lent against him.

  
The pair made their way slowly back into the street, although it was a different street to the one they had been on before they had seen the man. Ignis figured he was Stella’s father. Although he had no idea why the man had looked at her the way he had.

  
A gentle tap on his arm brought him out of his thoughts, head turning to look at the smaller redhead next to him. A small smile appeared for a second, her whole face lighting up with it before she turned and nodded in front of them. The beach was mostly empty, only a small amount of people scattered along it’s length, and of them, few were sitting, most walking their dogs or fishermen pushing their boats out into the waves.

  
Ignis tried to avoid looking at the nets piled high in the boats.

  
Stella tugged him forwards, heading towards the end of the beach where a cliff rose abruptly, sharp rocks arching out into the water. As they got closer Ignis noticed a barely-there path on the rocks, close to the base of the cliff itself. A young blond sat on the rocks partway along the path, legs dangling in the water, a strange device with a large glass piece in his hands. The boy looked up as they passed, grinning and giving a small wave to Stella, who smiled and waved back. The freckles on the boy's face and shoulders caught Ignis’ eye, bringing his attention to the faint smattering across Stella's own nose and cheekbones.

  
Ignis arched a brow in question. Stella chuckled quietly, pulling them to a stop and leaning against the cliff face.

  
_“That was Prompto. He's an old friend.”_ Ignis nodded, breathing out a quiet “ah". Stella studied his face for a moment before snorting and turning to face the ivy that covered most of the cliff base. She stepped forwards, tapping the toe of her shoe against a red-brown patch of rock and sticking her hand through the plants. One last look around and she pulled the ivy to the side, revealing a small cave entrance in the rocks.

  
Ignis smiled


	5. Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter everyone. This turned out out lot better than I though it would and is now officially the only fic I've ever manged to finish in any fandom.  
> As I stated at the start, this fic was written for mintfoxmimi on Tumblr. Go check out her amazing Octomer art guys.

The small passageway darkened as the ivy fell back into place. Both of them had to duck in order to get through the small entrance, and remain crouching as they started to shuffle their way forwards down the gentle slope. Stella knew the passage from memory, but she pulled out her phone and turned the torch on.

_Can't have Ignis falling over when we're so clo_ __se._ _

There was a pause after the light turned on, Stella squinting as her eyes adjusted and seeing Ignis do the same out of the corner of her eye. The torch lit up the damp rock walls around them, illuminating small patches within them that glinted in the light. Ignis traced his hand over one of the patches. The light reflecting off the patch also reflected in his eyes, igniting them a sharp peridot.

"Stella?" Those sharp eyes turned to her. Stella blinked, realising she'd been staring. "Are you alright?"

Stella nodded quickly, feeling her cheeks warming as she blushed. Ignis arched a brow at her, a smirk appearing as her cheeks flushed even redder.

_Damnit._

“Well, if that is the case, perhaps we should move on?”

Stella nodded, gesturing for him to follow her. The passageway curved as it descended, leading them back around towards the cliff face. The patches in the wall appeared more often as they went, slowly starting to merge. By the time the passageway opened up into the small tidal cave the walls were almost completely covered in the uncut quartz.

Light peered in through an opening in the cave wall, reflecting off the gems and brightening the cave to almost an unbearable level. Seaweed lay strewn across the sand, some fresh and still damp from the early morning tide. A thin metal pole was stuck into the sand about three quarters of the way up the small beach. Ignis paused at the cave entrance, eyes wide, staring at the sight. His gaze returned to Stella as she flicked off the torch.

“This... this place is beautiful.” Stella smiled softly at the words, already knowing what question was going to come next. She started tapping away at her phone even as Ignis continued to speak. “How did you find it?”

 _“I come here sometimes when I need to be alone. My brother and I found it once when we were playing. We were going to tell our friends, but we never got the chance.”_ Ignis’ eyes softened. Slowly, he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. Stella closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, thankful that he’d made it obvious what he was going to do. She figured that she’d worried him enough with all her flinching. _“I’ve never told anyone about this place. If more people started coming here they’d ruin it.”_

Turning away, Stella pointed at the opening. The water was almost at the top of the small gap in the rocks. _“The water covers the hole most of the day. It’s only at low tides that you can see out like this. I think it’s one of the reasons that nobody has found this place before. That, and also most people don’t go along the cliff path because of rock slides.”_

“The cliffs are dangerous?” Ignis scowled at Stella’s answering nod. “If they are so unsafe, then why do you risk yourself to come here?” Instead of answering the question, she gave a small shrug of her shoulders, moving over to the metal pole and checking that it was still secure in the sand.

Stella twisted the pole, driving it deeper into the sand. She heard Ignis shuffle about, but couldn’t tell if he was coming closer or just adjusting his weight. Twisting the pole again, she forced it further down, until it struck the rocky base of the cave. Ignis appeared in her field of view, walking around the edge of the cave to stand opposite her, but leaning against the far wall. The purple colouration that was prevalent over his body when in his normal form was reappearing on his exposed skin. Stella noted with amusement that there was a band of the purple smudges under his eyes that looked almost like glasses frames. Ignis glanced up at her, and she nodded. A tired smile made its way onto the octomer’s face and he ducked his head to undo his jacket.

Stella smiled to herself as she tapped the pole with the toe of her boot.

She glanced up again as Ignis hissed under his breath. He was trying to undo the buttons on his shirt now, jacket hung on a rock behind him, but the claws that were reforming on the end of his fingers were getting in the way. Stella hummed, drawing his gaze, and let go of the pole to walk over to him. She batted his hands out of the way, undoing to buttons. Ignis watched her in amusement as her cheeks turned red when she reached the last button and froze.

_Ah, shit._

Ignis chuckled as Stella turned her head away to try and hide her blush. He placed his hand on her shoulder, muttering a quiet “Thank you.” Stella nodded, face still burning, and hurried over to where she’d dropped her bag when they’d entered the cave. The brown jar that her sister had brought Ignis home in sat on top of the pile of clothes in the bag. Picking up the jar, Stella kept her back turned to Ignis until she heard him get into the water, then headed over to where the octomer was sat. He’d reverted to his normal form, tentacles spread every which way as he stretched them out under the water. The purple leopard-like spots across his body shimmered in the light.

 _“Feel better?”_ Ignis opened his eyes and looked at her. Stella blinked. The green of his eyes seemed brighter now than they had been earlier.

“I do, yes. Thank you for bringing me back.” Stella nodded, smiling, and crouched down at the water’s edge to pull off her boots and socks. She jumped when a tentacle shot out and grabbed hold of the jar. Ignis’ eyes narrowed as he turned it over in his hands. “Why did you bring this with you?”

Stella rolled her eyes and huffed. She rolled her trousers up to her knees and stuck her feet in the water. The water was cold, but soothing.

 _“I need to catch something to replace you or Gala’s gonna kill me. I know you could hear through the glass so you probably heard her threat.”_  Stella snorted at Ignis’ responding scowl. She shuffled sideways until she was sat on a small rock shelf, allowing her to stick her legs further into the water without getting her trousers wet.

“Why is she like that?” Stella shrugged, dropping her head back and closing her eyes. Ignis sighed and Stella felt one of his tentacles wrap gently around her ankle. She hummed, not opening her eyes even as she felt Ignis pull himself up onto the rock next to her. “I understand if you don’t want to tell me. But remember, it is usually better to talk to someone about it.”

Stella giggled, shaking her head and sitting upright. Humming, she started kicking her feet, sending a small splash of water up into the air. She giggled again, looking through the water to watch Ignis’ tentacles as they shifted to try and copy her actions. Stella snorted, patting his hand where it rested on the rock next to hers.

“Do you want me to go catch you something. I doubt there’ll be much in the rockpools and I would be more likely to find something that looks like me.”

Stella nodded, a grin breaking over her face. _“That would be great. Although I can only stay here for a few hours at a time. When the water reaches the pole I need to leave or the cliff path will be flooded.”_

“Ah. Alright then. I’ll be as fast as I can.”

Stella gasped as Ignis dove forwards into the water, the splash from the force of his body soaking her shirt and getting in her eyes. Wiping at her eyes furiously, she cleared her vision just in time to see the last of his tentacles disappear out of the gap in the cave wall. She huffed, pulling her feet out of the water and heading back over to her bag to pull out her towel. Sand blew across the small beach as she shook the towel and laid it flat on the sand just above the pole. A sharp stab of pain came from her hip, causing her to hiss out between her teeth as she curled up on her side on top of the towel.

The lapping of the water was soothing as she lay there and waited for Ignis to return.

~

Stella groaned quietly as she opened her eyes. They felt gritty and sore, like they always did when she’d been crying in her sleep. Wait, she’d been asleep? What woke her up? It was then that she noticed that there was something touching her leg. Something cold, and slimy and _wet._

With a cry of surprise, Stella jerked upright; only to smash her head against a solid object that had been hovering above her. A strangled noise came from her throat as she curled up again, holding her head. The sound of pain was echoed by whatever – _who_ ever – she’d collided heads with. She squinted in an attempt to see what she’d hit.

The cave was dark, the sea having risen to cover the hole, the water now halfway up the beach. _That explains why I didn’t see anything_. She hummed as a cool hand came to rest on her shoulder, another combing gently through her hair to make sure there wasn’t any permanent damage. Cracking her eyes open further, she was met with a concerned looking Ignis, his face illuminated by the soft glow of his markings. His expression relaxed into one of relief when she winked at him, reaching over to pick her phone up and turn the torch on.

A sharp hiss came from behind her, head whipping around and jaw dropping in shock at what she saw.

Two more octomers sat on the beach. The smaller of the two had a hand on his head, rubbing carefully. His eyes were glowing a bright pinkish-red but they slowly faded to a deep blue, nearly the same colour as his tentas. His har was deep black and stuck up slightly at the back, almost as if he had styled it. The other was large, even more so than Ignis, and was covered in a deep brown colouration, darker striped mixing in with lighter areas in a camouflage like pattern. There were scars on some of his limbs, including one on his face, barely missing the deep brown eye that was currently glaring right at Stella.

Stella shrunk back from the larger octomer's glare, but an arm around her back stopped her from moving too far.

“Gladio, would you please stop looking at her like you want to kill her?” At Ignis' words the octomer – Gladio – shifted his gaze away from Stella, reaching out with one scarred tentacle to check on the smaller octomer. Ignis sighed. “My apologies, Stella. I bumped into Gladio and Noctis shortly after I left the cave. They insisted on coming back with me.”

Stella nodded quickly, wanting to reassure Ignis. The purple octomer’s eyes softened, even as his arm tightened around her. Something smooth and cold was pressed into her hands. Glancing away, Stella saw Noctis – it was Noctis wasn’t it? – gently wrapping her fingers around the brown jar. Stella smiled at him, then raised her hands to sign:

_Thank you_

Confusion clouded both Ignis and Gladio’s faces, but Noctis grinned, showing off his sharp teeth.

“Thank you too, for looking after Iggy and bringing him back to us in one piece.” The young octomer held out his hand, Stella pausing for only a second before reaching out and shaking it. Noctis held her hand in both of his, then pulled away to sign back at her. His movements were shaky and he got some parts mixed, but Stella was easily able to understand what he was trying to say.

_‘Prompto taught me to sign. Ignis said you knew him, but he doesn’t know that I know him too. Please don’t tell them’_

Stella nodded at him, reaching out to pat his shoulder. Noctis grinned at her as he started shuffling back to the water's edge. The sea had almost reached the pole by now, a sign of just how long Stella had spent in the cave.

“Come on. I’m hungry.”

Stella laughed at Ignis’ eye roll, but stood up and dusted the sand off her clothes, picking her phone up as she went.

 _“You guys stay safe now. And feel free to come here whenever you feel like it.”_ Stella smiled at the octomers as they entered the water. _“I might see you again if you do.”_

Gladio and Noctis both nodded before diving into the water together, but Ignis hung back for a moment.

“Thank you, Stella. Without you I don’t know what would have happened.” Stella smiled at him, stepping forwards and giving him a quick hug. Strong arms wrapped around her in return before the octomer turned to follow his friends. Stella stood for a few moments more, watching until the soft purple glow disappeared, and headed back out of the cave.

~

“Hey Stella!” Prompto grinned enthusiastically, jumping up from his spot on the rocks and hugging her. “Wait. Wasn’t there a guy with you earlier?”

_‘Yes. He went home though. With Noctis.’_

Prompto’s jaw dropped in shock. He glanced around them quickly before leaning in close.

“He's one of Noct's friends?” Stella nodded, tapping her forehead against Prompto's and giggling as he scrunched his nose up. “Wow. Noct said that octomer's could change form but I didn’t even realise! Wow.”

Stella laughed, looping her arm over his shoulders. ‘ _Cool isn’t it?’_

Prompto nodded reverently and Stella laughed again. ‘ _Anyway, you wanna hang out? I was planning on getting something to eat before going home.’_

Prompto snaked his arm around her waist. “Sure! I was waiting for Noct but I guess if he’s with Iggy now he won’t be able to hang. You wanna go to that fish and chip shop on the front then play video games at mine?”

 _‘Sounds great’_ Another grin and Prompto was leading her forwards, chattering as they went.


End file.
